The office of Baltimore State Attorney’s office have made a shocking announcement regarding remaining charges of police officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray. Today at pre-trial motion proceedings for Officer Garrett Miller, who was the next officer scheduled for trial, it was announced that all remaining charges against all officers involved have been dropped. The state had humiliating failures in previous trials for officers accused of the neck and spinal injury death of Gray after a “rough ride” in a police van where he was unsecured. Baltimore Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow made the request to drop charges.
The announcement comes on the heels of an earlier trial this month when Lt. Brian Rice was found not guilty on all charges related to Freddie Gray’s death. Rice was the highest ranking officer of the six accused in Gray’s death and was facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. Earlier this year, officers Edward Nero and Caesar Goodson Jr. were acquitted on all charges in bench trials. The trial of officer William Porter ended in a mistrial in December after a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on any of the four charges against him.
Many have stated that the charges leveled by Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby were overreaching and on poor legal standing. There were three more trials that were set to take place that includedOfficer Garrett Miller scheduled to begin on July 27; a retrial of Officer William Porter on Sept. 6; and Sgt. Alicia White’s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 13.
The responsibility for the death of Freddie Gray in police custody will now remain unresolved as apparently no officer is guilty. The announcement is just reaching activists and this story will be updated as more details emerge.
